


Love Potion

by saucy5sauce



Series: All The AUs [2]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 23:40:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3669492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saucy5sauce/pseuds/saucy5sauce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which 5SOS go to Hogwarts and someone slips Ashton a love potion.</p><p>"They never would have kissed, if not for Michael Clifford and his bizarre need to impress Luke Hemmings."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Potion

**They never would have kissed, if not for Michael Clifford and his bizarre need to impress Luke Hemmings.**

It wasn’t a normal morning. It was April Fools day and for some strange reason, Melinda Brava was sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table with Ashton Irwin and his friends. She was known throughout Hogwarts for being hilarious, as well as good-looking. They were known for… well, mostly the fact that Michael always charmed his own hair (as well as his friends) ridiculous colors. And Ashton wasn’t known for anything at all.

“Do you want some toast?” he asked Melinda.

“God, no. I’m allergic. You trying to kill me, Irwin?” She turned to him with a stern face.

“No, no, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” Ashton tripped over various apologies and spilled the apple juice he was pouring.

Melinda chuckled. “I was kidding.”

“Oh.”

She handed him napkins. “Are you always so gullible?”

“Do you always call people by their last names?” Ashton had his fingers crossed under the table and was fervently hoping that he wasn’t blushing.

“Just you, Irwin.” She winked. He almost fell out of his chair.

 

* * *

 

**They were just starting dessert (magically, always-ripe fruit) when Melinda saw it.**

“Holy shit,” she said. “Is that a _love potion_?”

Ashton groaned. His friends had been on their best behavior around Melinda (ever since first-year she had been in Ashton’s top five), but he hadn’t honestly expected it to last, had he?

“Nope!” Michael said cheerfully, slipping the small vial into to sleeve of his robe.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Luke was shaking his head slightly and Michael was looking rather obviously at the orange juice.

Ashton’s jaw dropped.

“Fuck,” he said. “Did you just--?”

Melinda had her hand over her mouth. Ashton had no way of knowing that she was giggling slightly. She had sat with them to change up her morning routine, and because her best friend Calum heard rumors they were “sick musicians” and sent her to check them out. And so far, it was amusing, at least. (Maybe she was in shock. She knew that the proper response to being slipped a love potion was _not_ laughter.)

Michael shrugged. Luke slugged him in the arm and then asked Ashton if he was okay.

Ashton couldn’t react. He could still taste the orange juice in his mouth and he knew, without a doubt, that he had been looking at Melinda when he drunk it, that she had been looking at him.

He turned to her now. “I’m so, so sorry,” he said. “For my idiot friends and--” he groaned, “I can’t even say it.”

Melinda gave him a polite smile (because she was trying to mask her grin-- this was _definitely_ the most interesting Tuesday she had had in years). “Love potion,” she said.

“Yeah. Erm, _that_.”

 

* * *

 

**Melinda figured that being drugged was a decent excuse to slip class. She explained to the rest of the boys what they had to do to find the anecdote.**

“And if that doesn’t work,” she said, “We will go to the Forbidden Forest.”

“But it’s _forbidden_ ,” Ashton pointed out. (He grimaced after the words left his mouth-- What if she liked bad boys? And did it matter anymore, now that the potion was going to kick in?)

“You scared, Irwin?” she teased.

“God,” Luke mumbled, “I’m going to be surrounded all day by lovesick fools. Thanks, Michael.”

Michael shrugged. “Hey, Melinda, can I dye your hair?”

“Don’t you dare,” she cried, jumping away from the table. “Irwin, watch this one!” Ashton was silent, and she turned to face him. “You have my back, right?”

“Of course,” he said automatically.

“Good,” Melinda smiled. “Let’s go.”

She turned and started walking away. The boys rose in unison and followed without a word, out of the Great Hall and towards the search for an antidote.

* * *

 

**“Calum Hood,” Melinda said, “may look cool. But don’t be fooled by the blond streak or the black jeans. He’s a total nerd. Especially with things concerning potions.”**

“So he’s friends with Snape?” Luke said, amazed. (The potions professor had always scared him, thought he would never admit it in front of a girl.)

“Oh yeah. He’s a Slytherin.”

Ashton was trying his hardest not to be jealous. He imagined this Calum Hood guy was totally fit, mysterious and probably wore beanies without being ironic. Which was almost exactly what he found when they rounded a corner and found a tall boy wearing black skinny jeans and a white muscle tee under an open robe. He had his long legs folded and a book balanced in mid-air in front of him.

“Yo, Calum!” Melinda called.

He looked up and the book fell, slamming onto the ground. “Damn you, Mel,” he said. “Always ruining my spells.”

“At least it wasn’t _you_ in mid-air this time,” she said.

Ashton and Luke exchanged a glance. Had Calum levitated himself? That spell was rare and dangerous for seventh years to be able to do, let alone sixth-years like themselves.

Calum was still sitting on the ground, which made for awkward conversation as Ashton tried to introduce himself.

“I know who you are,” Calum said. “ _Gryffindors_.”

“Now Calum, be nice,” Melinda joked. (She _was_ joking, right?)

“The only reason this one got sorter in,” Calum gestured to her, “is because her last name literally means ‘brave’.”

Mel was obviously offended by that. “Hey, I’m brave,” she said.

“Damn right she is,” Ashton said, suddenly confident. ( _I have her back_ , he chanted silently.) “Brave than any of us.”

Calum rolled his eyes. “How impressive.”

“Ugh,” Melinda groaned. “Now I don’t want to ask for your help.” She glanced at Ashton and bit her lip.

(Had she never noticed how attractive he was? She must have. This couldn’t be the first time that she saw how his face was a sculpture with dimples carved in, or that he was well over 6 feet tall. Just her type-- Or was that the love potion speaking?)

Ashton stepped forward and explained the situation quickly. “If you don’t help us, I will give you a reason to regret it.” ( _You’re a Gryffindor_ , he reminded himself, _and you have finally been given a reason to be brave_.)

Melinda clapped.

 

* * *

 

**They went back to the common room, Calum trailing behind them. He was always casting something into the air, which was starting to get annoying. (Ashton thought about telling Michael to charm his hair or something, then thought again.)**

Melinda went to change and there was that awkward moment where they waved goodbye, all too aware that when she came back, the potion would definitely kick in and so would the way that they will look at each other.

Ashton shivered in excitement. Wasn’t this what he had been waiting for, a chance with the girl that seemed too good for him? (Of course, he never would have _drugged_ her himself. That was over the line. Michael had no respect for lines.)

When Melinda came back, she was wearing a loose, white shirt and was fitting her robe over her arms.

She walked up to stand beside Ashton. He was taller than she thought at the beginning of the day, tall enough that she had to stand on her tip-toes to whisper in his ear. “I should be mad at your asshole friends,” she said, “But I kinda just want to explore the castle with you.” Something overtook her eyes, something like magically-induced desire. “I’ve always wanted to do that with someone.”

Ashton took her hand and held it to his chest. “Your wish,” he said, “is my command.”

Luke rolled his eyes. Michael fake-gagged. Calum stood behind them, shaking his head.

He turned to Luke. “You know what this means, right?”

“What?”

“It’s up to us to find the antidote. These two will be good for nothing but looking at each other.”

And they were, like Ashton had discovered a new planet in astrology class or like Melinda was looking at her new favorite person. Maybe she was.

 

* * *

 

**“Okay, team,” Ashton said. “You all know where you’re going. And… _break_!”**

Calum and Michael ran off to find Snape, Luke went to chat up the head nurse about love potions, and Ashton ran back to Melinda.

“You, erm, look really nice,” he said.

She grinned. “You don’t look so bad yourself. So tall…”

“Where are we starting?” Ashton said. “I’m going to take you on the best Hogwarts tour you’ve ever been on.”

Melinda rolled her eyes lovingly (which she hadn’t really thought was possible, before).

“I know where to start,” she said. And then she took one step closer to Ashton. Her hand lightly brushed some scruff on his chin before pushing his long hair behind his ears. “Right here,” she said, and then she kissed him.

In that moment --the moment of fireworks exploding above them and electric currents pushing them closer so that Ashton’s arms were around Melinda and her hands were tangled somewhere in his hair-- all Ashton could think was that they would not be kissing if it were not for Michael Clifford and his bizarre need to impress Luke Hemmings.

He had never been so thankful for their passive-aggressive, bromance kind of love.

* * *

 

**Footsteps, rapidly approaching them.**

_Shit_ , Melinda would have mumbled, if her mouth were not otherwise occupied.

 _Shit_ , she thought. _I’ll lose house points for sure if a professors finds me snogging yet another boy_.

Melinda stepped away from Ashton.

“We should not be doing this,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Love potion-- A gentlemen wouldn’t take advantage of a girl in that situation.”

Melinda raised an eyebrow. “That’s not what I meant. You’d be an idiot not to,” she winked. She had never felt the need to pretend that she didn’t realize that she was attractive.

Ashton was staring at her with wide-eyes. The emotion behind them was not to be understated, and Melinda could feel her cheeks heating up. What if McGonagall found them like this? It would be worse than before.

Mel calmly put two hands on Ashton’s chest and shoved him backwards.

He made a startled noise that-- was kind of cute, actually. “What was that for?” he said.

“Hide.”

“What?”

She didn’t have time to roll her eyes. “In that corner,” she pointed. “I’ll be across the corridor pretending to read-- do you _want_ to get caught?”

Ashton shook his head and watched Melinda take four steps towards the statue on the other side of the corridor. Four steps was as much as he could take.

“Come back here, Mel,” he said, striding forwards to pick her up. He put her down once they were back in his designated corner, shadows engulfing them in darkness.

She felt for his face. “You there?” she muttered, and for a second she sounded scared. Ashton felt his blood pulse with the desire to hurt whatever was scaring her.

But then she was -could it be?- giggling.

“I’m not going to lie,” Melinda said. “That was super hot.” Her fingers found his mouth, and then she was grinning, he could tell because he was too, and they were snogging once again.

 

* * *

 

**“Ideal first date, GO!”**

Ashton was poking Melinda’s side and she was giggling. They had gone back to the common room, to avoid being caught. They were sharing one of the armchairs and everyone in the room was watching how their limbs seemed to be overflowing out of the chair, how they couldn’t look away from each other.

“I don’t know,” Melinda giggling. “Stop that, I’m ticklish.”

“That’s adorable.”

She swatted his hand away, then grabbed it and held it. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

A group of second-year boys left the common room in a hurry.

“Movie date,” Melinda said finally. “How about you?”

Ashton’s eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. “Same!”

“We’re meant to be, I guess.”

“Of course we are, Mel.” Ashton rested his head, half of the chair and half on what he was pretty sure was her arm. (The cuddle was kind of a mess.) He closed his eyes and wondered why he couldn’t forget that this was love potion. He wasn’t wishing that it wasn’t happening, but he was slightly peeved that “Best first date idea, GO!”

Ashton was poking Melinda’s side and she was giggling. They had gone back to the common room, to avoid being caught. They were sharing one of the armchairs and everyone in the room was watching how their limbs seemed to be overflowing out of the chair, how they couldn’t look away from each other.

“I don’t know,” Melinda giggling. “Stop that, I’m ticklish.”

“That’s adorable.”

She swatted his hand away, then grabbed it and held it. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

A group of second-year boys left the common room in a hurry.

“Movie date,” Melinda said finally. “How about you?”

Ashton’s eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly. “Same!”

“We’re meant to be, I guess.”

“Of course we are, Mel.” Ashton rested his head, half of the chair and half on what he was pretty sure was her arm. (The cuddle was kind of a mess.) He closed his eyes and wondered why he couldn’t forget that this was love potion. (He wasn’t wishing that it wasn’t happening, but he was slightly peeved that it was happening because of something that Michael had done as an April Fools Day Prank.)

“Movie date,” Ashton said suddenly. (Just because Melinda just liked him due to the potion didn’t mean that he couldn’t give her reasons to like him.)

Melinda looked up. “Ashton. It’s a Tuesday night. There are no TVs at Hogwarts.”

“Yeah? Well then, we’ll just have to make do.”

Mel grinned. Then, “I’m not sure we can get out of this chair.”

“Yeah, I agree. If you figure out a way, I promise I can give us a movie date.”

“That sounds like a good trade. But Ashton?”

“Yeah?”

“First, can I kiss you?”

“Don’t even ask, love,” he mumbled, pulling her closer to him and scaring the rest of the Gryffindors from the common room.

 

* * *

 

**Thirty minutes later, the movie was starting.**

Ashton had chosen a corridor almost directly off the Great Hall, so people from all Houses could watch.

He muttered a bunch of gibberish, winked at Melinda, and the movie was projected out of his wand.

“Holy shit,” Melinda said. “That’s amazing.”

“You mean _I’m_ amazing.”

“That too.”

Ashton pulled her in for a kiss. (He wasn’t sure how much longer he had before the potion wore off, because he couldn’t do that anymore. But he was sure that he was the reason she was grinning right now.)

Ten minutes later, Ashton was snuggling with Melinda on pillows with the Hogwarts crest on them. He wasn’t sure, but thought they might have come from the hospital wing, after McGonagall promised that he wouldn’t get in trouble and he proposed a movie night tomorrow for the sick students and staff.

It had taken ten minutes for the corridor to full up. Dozens of teenagers, some enchanted popcorn that popped in your stomach, pillows and blankets, along with a handful of teachers were enjoying the movie.

“Is this an okay first date?” Ashton asked, worried.

The movie had reached a moment of silence, of course, and half the hall heard.

“Yes!” someone shouted.

“Better than any date I’ve been on,” someone else cried.

Calum was suddenly nearby, rolling his eyes at Ashton and winking at Melinda. Then Ashton noticed Michael, talking to Luke, who now had lilac hair.

Ashton chuckled.

“This is horrible, really,” Melinda said sarcastically.

 

* * *

 

**When she woke up, Ashton was curled around her. Melinda yawned, trying to stretch without bothering the curly-haired boy.**

What had happened last night? she wondered. This wasn’t the cliché moment waking up beside a guy and feeling your head spin. She wasn’t that girl. And thankfully, last night had _not_ been the kind of night that she would wake up regretting.

She remembered most of it now, the movie date and shared chair in the common room. And then, with a sense of dread, the memories seemed to go sour as Melinda remembered the detail she wished she could forget: the love potion. The April Fools prank. The search for the antidote.

 

* * *

**When Ashton woke up, it was because he rolled out of bed and onto the cold floor.**

It wasn’t the cold that he noticed so much as the sudden lack of heat. The lack of the warm body next to him, the arm that had been curled around his waist and the curls in his hair that he knew she had recently touched.

She. Melinda. He was so full of love for her that he thought he might explode. Even with his face shoved into the floor, a bruise starting as the blood gathered under his skin, Ashton was grinning. He had no control over it. (And he was very strongly ignoring the reason why that was.)

“Ash?” Melinda’s head popped over the side of her canopied bed. She giggled and smiled like love was infectious. (Which, you know, it very well could be.)

“I fell.” He said simply. Somehow it seemed like the most hilarious thing either of them had heard.

Melinda stuck a hand over the side once she had stopped laughing. Ashton looked at it.

“If you try to pull me up, you’re going to end up right beside me.”

She pretended to consider it. “Doesn’t sound like a bad place to be.”

“You’re so cheesy,” Ashton said, reaching up to poke her cheeks. (The floor was kind of comfortable now that he had gotten used to it.)

“For the love of Harry fucking Potter,” a girl in a four-poster bed in the corner of the room grumbled, “Will you shut the fuck up?”

“Language, Kiara!” Melinda called.

Ashton covered his mouth. “Shit. There are other people in here?”

“Actually, there is a group camping outside the door because you’re being too loud. I’m talking to you, Sex Hair.”

Ashton peered over the bed. “Me?”

Kiara, a pretty black girl with a nasty Irish accent and an even worse temper, was glaring at him. “Yes, _you_ , Pretty Boy.”

Melinda had ceased caring about the girls in her dorm who had such sensitive moods and were, in general, too touchy. So she laughed, nudged Ashton and said, “Ohhh, she called you pretty.”

Kiara marched over, wearing booty shorts and a green shirt that said “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”.

“This is my room, too,” she announced. “I’m not leaving because of you. But if you want, you can leave.”

Ashton apologized profusely, promising her an extra muffin (“I know a place”, he said). Melinda put on something casual to wear and pulled a still-apologizing Ashton out of the room. They went down the stairs and out of the Gryffindor Tower.

“Calum wants to see us,” Melinda said.

“But I just want to see you,” Ashton said honestly.

She turned her head to give him a flash of a smile. “You’re too much.”

 

* * *

 

**“So, the good news, for you ridiculous love birds…”**

Ashton and Melinda were the picture of love, Calum couldn’t help thinking. While he was leaning against a column in one of the outside courtyard, Ashton was standing tall and had Melinda wrapped in his arm. Every so often, she would lift her head and mumble something to make him laugh, or he would whisper in her ear.

They weren’t even listening to Calum. And Melinda, who always commented when his hair wasn’t looking as “perky” as usual, had not noticed the blond stripe Michael had helped him charm.

“The good news,” Calum tried again. “Is that we did not find an anecdote. The bad news is that-- we did not find an antidote. Are you listening at all?” He snapped in front of Melinda’s face. “Hello?”

She just blinked. “Good news?”

Calum decided to give up. He walked away, ranting about the fragility of love and the magic things that we actually really shitty and why does magic even have a positive connotation at all? The only thing that should have a positive connotation is music, he firmly believed, and maybe flying. (Do any super villains fly? -- He was getting off topic. _Love_. Right, that was what was wrong with his morning.)

Melinda didn’t wave goodbye. Calum sighed, and went to look for Michael. on the way, he passed a group of Gryffindors complaining about the couple.

 _Hmm_ , Calum thought, _We should all form some sort of Ashlinda-hating club. Start a petition. Hashtag expel PDA._

* * *

 

**Calum had just left when Luke ran into him.**

“Dude,” Luke said. “We have a problem.”

“ _We_ don’t. _You_ probably have many.”

Luke sighed. He had gotten used to comments that weren’t nice, had realized that they were more of a reflection of the person saying them than the person they were about. (Though he still wished people would just be nice.)

“I have to tell you something,” Luke said.

“I’m just heading into the Great Hall for some lunch. Can this wait?”

“Not really.” Luke sighed. “It’s about Ashton and Melinda.”

“Well, you can tell me over Mac and Cheese.” With that, Calum marched into the Great Hall. To the Slytherin Table. And Luke had no choice but to follow.

There were boo’s when he sat down. But Luke was on a mission: he was going to tell Calum the truth.

Besides, it wasn’t like Michael would ever look at the Slytherin Table, and Luke knew he had to be going crazy looking for him.

Michael had always called Luke “his conscious”. Ashton always said that it was a fond term, but Luke could never be sure. All he knew was that two people were wandering around love sick, when they were actually—well, they could still be considered love sick. (Luke needed to work on his metaphors.)

“So,” Calum said once they were sitting down and he had started building a make-your-own BLT. “What did you have to tell me?”

“I don’t think this is the right place--” Luke was looking at the rather obvious amount of Slytherins who were glaring at him.

Calum didn’t notice.

“Don’t tell me, then,” he just said. “God.”

“Fine. Michael—Ashton— _There was no love potion_ ,” he finally managed to say.

“Of course there was. Melinda came to me and said— Wait. She doesn’t know?”

“No.”

“That fucker—Ashton fucking whatever-his-last-name, I’ll look it up so I can put it on his fucking gravestone.” (When Calum gets mad, he rants. Sometimes, he’s too mad to rant in a way that makes sense.)

“Huh?” Luke asked.

“I’m going to kill him. Your friend- the curly-haired asshole, the-- ”

“But Ashton didn’t know.”

Calum sighed. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“This is bad.”

“Yeah.”

“We have to tell them.”

“No.”

* * *

 

 **It was night and the Gryffindors were having a sort-of indoor campfire.** It was one of the things Ashton loved about his House. He felt at home in the castle when it was a campfire night, felt like he was surrounded by family.

But this particular night, all he could see was Melinda.

Someone was playing guitar in the background (he wasn’t as good as Luke – _Where even was Luke anyway_ , Ashton wondered for a second before his thoughts went back to Mel).

She was wearing red and gold, shining like a summer day and Ashton might as well have been blind for it.

He understood now why love potions were illegal, why they were forbidden within the school.  He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to focus on any school work unless Melinda was beside him—and if she was beside him, all he was going to want to do was touch her. Touch her lips. Then again, he had failed at least one class last quarter because he spent the whole time looking at the back of her head. _Distracted_ , his professor had written on his report. _Trying to get some_ , Michael had suggested he write back.

Now that Ashton had Melinda in his arms, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to stop himself from being distracted. _This is why guys choose girls over their friends_ , he realized. _Because no one –nothing- can compare to the feeling I get when she looks at me._

She looked at him then, and he kissed her with force, surprising her somewhat. She pulled back at first, and Ashton stopped. But once Mel realized what he had been trying to do, she grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him back to her. They were kissing like you would in private, kissing with intent. They were still in front of the rest of their House, still at the common room campfire, Ashton realized suddenly. He opened his eyes.

 _Shit_ , he thought.

“Hold on,” he said. Melinda closed her eyes, trusting in him.

Ashton could do this. He only had once, only in the safe practice zones designated in Hogsmead. But he could do it again. _She trusts me_ , he thought. _Be brave._

And then he apparated.

 

* * *

 

**When Melinda opened her eyes, they were pressed up against each other, against a stone wall.**

“Did you take me to some dark corner to sex me?” she asked before she could think about it.

Ashton stared at her. “What? No. Of course not.” Then, “ _Sex_ you?” She had caught him off guard-- that much was obvious. He almost forgot the real reason that he had apparated them here.

“Luke,” Ashton said.

“That’s not—what?” Melinda was confused. She felt like they were going to fight—she knew they were, but that wasn’t the sort of thing people who were under the influence of a love potion would do.

“I saw Luke in the common room. He looked mad, and he was looking at us.”

“You apparated to the other side of the castle because someone was made at you?” Melinda did not sound impressed.

“Yes,” Ashton said, “I did.” Then, “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Melinda sighed. She slid down the wall until she was sitting.

“You okay?” Ashton went right into concerned/protective-boyfriend mode.

“Yeah. I just—I don’t wish that this doesn’t happen. Does that make me a bad person?”

“By _this_ do you mean the--” He still couldn’t say it.

“Love potion,” she muttered. “Yeah.”

“Well,” Ashton sat beside her, “It would make me sad if you were sad it happened.”

“Ashton,” she said, “What if that is just the potion talking?”

He shook his head. “It isn’t.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Will you let me kiss you anyone?”

“Now? I’m basically crying.” She leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I’m always trying to kiss you,” he muttered, feeling strangely like he was in an Arctic Monkeys song. “And nothing will change that.”

“You don’t even know me,” Melinda muttered.

“Okay,” Ashton said, like it was a challenge. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Purple, I guess.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“May.”

“Adorable. I know you, Mel, and I think you’re _adorable_.”

“You don’t know me,” Melinda giggled, “Just because you know my favorite color.”

“What’s left?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly, which made him chuckle. “My favorite food is pizza--”

“Dude!” Ashton interrupted. “Mine is too! High-five.”

They high-fived, then Ashton leaned in for the kiss. He paused right before her lips.

“Do you not want me to kiss you?” he asked, “Since it could be the love potion?”

Melinda shook her head. “Not even then.”

 

* * *

 

 **Calum had been searching for the unhappy couple for what felt like forever, going on only the advice of other lovesick couples** (who Calum decided were worse company than his fucking textbooks) and eyewitness reports that “they might have gone that way”.

But Calum was going to find them. Even if Michael had given up when dinnertime came and even now that it had gone, so was he. Luke had vanished (literally) to finish some last minute homework he had forgotten about.

 _They were probably making out somewhere_ , Calum thought with a bitter tone. It was not that he liked Melinda, though he knew half the castle was convinced that he did. It was that he cared about her, as a friend, and Calum was very loyal to whatever friends he chose. (See, behind his sly grin and signature wolf-life smirk, Calum was as innocent as a two-day-old puppy and even more loyal.)

But where would Calum go if he were Ashton? He didn’t know the boy at all, but he figured that they probably had one thing in common: a teenage boy’s stomach.

Melinda and Ashton had not showed up at the dining hall for three meals now. (Calum had bribed other Slytherins to watch the doors.) And they had to be getting hungry.

 

* * *

 

 **Two hours later, Calum broke into the kitchen.** The breaking in wasn’t the hard part; he was sure that it had only taken Ashton a few swishes of his wand; and Melinda could have done it three times as fast, though Calum knew her well enough to know that she always lets other people do things so that they will feel good about themselves. She never felt that she had anything to prove about herself, because she had confidence instead.

Calum missed Melinda, missed his friend Mel from back before she spent all day with another boy.

 _Ashton_. Who might not have known about the love potion, but who Calum could find no reason to like him. (Besides the obvious one; the dude did know how to grow hair.)

The kitchen door opened, finally, and Calum motioned for Michael and Luke to wait. They were only there because Calum was adamant that none of this was his fault; therefore Michael was going to be the one to give the happy couple the news. (In return, Calum promised that there would be food for him. Because it _was_ a kitchen.)

“Where are the house elves?” Luke asked when the door opened.

A surprised Melinda turned and her hand predictably went to her mouth.

“Calum!” she said.

“Muke?” Ashton asked, peeking his big brown eyes out over Melinda’s arm and at the two boys.

“Who is Muke?” Luke said, looking around at the empty kitchen.

Michael rolled his eyes and shoved the blonde boy playfully. “We are going to get food now. Come on, Luke.”

“Guys!” Calum stared as they walked away. “You’re supposed to—Uh, I guess I have to do all the hard work myself.”

“What do you mean?” Melinda asked. “Ash, what does he mean?”

“You call him Ash. Isn’t that just _adorable_.”

“No need to be jealous, Calum.” Melinda gave him a small hug, which he did not return. (It was the guilt. The guilt was what was holding him back. Also, the fact that Melinda smelled like cake and macaroni and cheese, the dinner in Hogwarts.)

“I’d be jealous too, mate,” Ashton said, like he said everything-- with a smile. “We’re happy.”

“Oh,” Calum said.

Michael was making eyes over the oven at him. “Don’t do it,” he was saying.

But Calum had no choice. He could not let Ashton break his best friend’s heart; he would rather that her pain be at his own hands.

And then Luke stepped forward.

 

* * *

 

**“There never was any love potion!” Luke exploded.**

“Shut up, Luke,” Michael mumbled absent-mindedly. Then, “Shit. You weren’t supposed to tell them!” He scrambled into a sitting position and smiled innocently at Melinda and Ashton.

“Michael…” Melinda warned. “What’s going on?”

“Erm, what he said.”

Ashton put his face in his hands. He knew better than to predict what Melinda was going to do, but he couldn’t give up hoping. (There was a chance that she wasn’t going to run away from the boys and avoid Ashton for the next few years. Wasn’t there?)

“So, just to clarify, Ash and I never drank any love potion?”

“Yes,” Luke said.

“Does this mean we are off the hook?” Michael asked. “Ash, mate, it was just an April Fools Joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t very funny, was it?” Ashton cried.

His friends were frozen; they had never seen him mad, or even annoyed. He was usually aggressively happy, always grinning and laughing. But now he looked like a first-year who had just tried the gum that made steam come out of his ears. His hands were in fists and both Luke and Michael shifted away from him unconsciously.

But not Melinda. Melinda looked at a very angry Ashton and laughed.

“ _She_ thinks it was funny,” Luke mumbled.

“Why?” Ashton groaned. “This whole day- the anecdote.”

“Hey,” Melinda shrugged, “At least we don’t need that anymore.”

“But I still like you,” Ashton said. “Okay? That’s what’s not funny. I had more fun with you today than with these jerks all year,” he gestured to the (slightly-insulted) boys on the couch across from them. “And it was all a lie.”

With that, he rushed out the room.

Melinda watched him leave with wide eyes.

She felt the couch she was sitting on shrink and looked up to find that Luke was sitting next to her.

“Go after him,” Luke said.

Melinda nodded. She was pretty sure that if she ran now, she could catch him before he disappeared down one of Hogwarts infamously maze-like corridors.

As she ran out of the common room, Michael yelled after her, just five words: “You can thank me later!”

True enough, when they graduated and Ashton was still dating Melinda, Michael would claim all the credit for the relationship. The couple celebrated April Fools Day as well as their anniversary, which meant that Melinda fake-broke up with Ashton at least four years in a row before he stopped believing it. It meant that when Ashton proposed, Mel thought it was a joke. Luckily, she said yes anyway.


End file.
